Altruism

A five-panel comic about a chipper red robot. Panel 1: a man on a path asks a red robot, "Do you think real altruism is possible? Or are we just doing stuff to improve our social standing or benefit our genes?" Panel 2: the robot cheerfully replies, "All good deeds are altruistic!" Panel 3: as the man starts to say "That's a beautiful—" the robot cuts in, grimly upbeat: "The existence of your species will be brief and pointless! Therefore all acts of kindness will ultimately go unrewarded!" Panel 4: a hillside with a small building, captioned "Fact: The park has a giftshop" with a note "I don't actually know what it looks like." Panel 5: the man encourages the robot, "Conclusion: You can do this," and the robot (offscreen) is greeted by two excited children—"Guess who brought home souvenirs from the armageddon!" "Daddyyy!" The joke: the robot frames bleak nihilism as the truly selfless gift it gives to others. Votey: a voice from inside a small hut declares, "My altruistic deed each day is horrible truth!"